Why play Dez Bryant tonight?

ALAMEDA, Calif. – That’s the burning question on everybody’s mind in the Dallas end of the press box.

No. 88 is in uniform, going through warmups, so it looks like he’ll be in action tonight. “Action,” of course, could mean a cameo appearance to show that he’s willing to fight through the pain of a sore hamstring left over from practice last week in Oxnard.

Despite his legal troubles off the field, Bryant has been outstanding in camp. With that said, the Cowboys have high hopes that this is the year he puts it all together.

“I think he really has made, particularly in this offseason, an awful lot of progress,” receivers coach Jimmy Robinson said. “I think he’s in really good shape. He’s practicing harder, he’s practicing better, he knows what he’s doing better. I’m not sure it won’t always be a work in progress, but hopefully he’ll get to the point where he becomes a Pro Bowl player and you’re not concerned about some of the little things: assignments and alignments and all those sorts of things.

“He’s still an extremely young guy, but I think there has been a big, big improvement since last season. But, again, as we always say, the proof’s going to be in the pudding. September 5 (opener at the Giants) and beyond, that’s going to tell the tale. We’ll see what happens when we start shooting live bullets.”

It’s Bryant’s third season, so it’s hard for the coaches to stomach the inconsistent play Bryant recorded as a rookie and in 2011.

So is it time for, say, a 1,000-yard season and double-digit TDs? Is it time for him to “put it all together?”

“Yeah, you’re certainly pushing for that and he knows that,” Robinson said. “We’re not in a 10-year rebuilding plan. We need him to become a great player now, a consistent player now, and we’ll see if that happens.”